This lifestyle portrait session with Koa, a sweet senior dog. And boy, was it a special one.

When Paige & Josh reached out to me about a photography session with their dog, it was an immediate “yes”. They had mentioned that their Koa was recently given a sudden severe heart disease diagnosis, and they wanted to capture him before he declined.

I know how receiving that kind of news feels.

In the beginning of September Shayne and I lost our Cooper. When I look up and across the room from where I sit now, I can see his name tag hanging on our key rack. A sad reminder that we just don’t get dogs for long enough. But also a reminder to celebrate and savor the time we do have. To make the most out of it, and to take portraits so you can always remember these good old days. I wish we would have had more family photos taken with Cooper.

So, the question was: how can we capture Koa living his best life? Well, we went to two of their favorite spots to go as a family. First, Lima Coffee, a local roaster in Fort Collins. Koa loves to come here and roll around in the grass out front while he enjoys a pup cup. So that’s where we started the session.

The second location was Lory State Park, a favorite area where Koa loves to walk the trails, sniff for horses, and run down to the edge of the water. We let Koa take the lead here. He wandered, explored and played in the open space. He entertained us all evening.

Just before we left, we witnessed a beautiful sunset across the foothills. It was the perfect ending to an evening of celebrating Koa.

Here’s a peek at the images we captured.

And an important reminder to all: take more photos with your dog.

In just the last few weeks I’ve photographed 3 dog sessions, and they are quickly becoming my favorite. Check out another dog session (at the beach!) here.

Want to schedule your own photo session with your dog?

You’re going to want to remember these days. Let’s take your pet to their favorite places, let’s play together, wander around, and maybe spoil them a bit! While you’re out there taking in the moment, I’ll take care of the photos.